Unadvertised HSE jobs filled by relatives of staff

[verbatim]

Unadvertised HSE jobs filled by relatives of staff

Read more: irishexaminer.com/ireland/un … z0qoUoqt4w

By Seán McCárthaigh and Fiachra O Cionnaith

Monday, June 14, 2010

HEALTH Service Executive staff in several parts of the country have been securing jobs for their own family members without holding an open competition as required under the HSE’s own general recruitment policy.

The Irish Examiner has established that temporary vacancies which have arisen in the HSE in Cork and Limerick in recent weeks have largely been filled by the spouses and children of HSE staff. None of thevacant positions were publicly advertised.

The revelations have raised fear and anger that there may be a widespread culture of providing jobs for relatives within the HSE at a time when there are more than 440,000 people on the Live Register.

Fine Gael health spokesman, James Reilly said such blatant examples of nepotism among HSE employees provided further evidence of the secrecy and lack of transparency in how the HSE operated.

“It’s symptomatic of Fianna Fáil and their ‘jobs for the boys’ culture which seems to have permeated down to the HSE,” said Dr Reilly.

“People are entitled to believe that a public body funded by the taxpayer like the HSE should operate in a fair and equitable manner when it comes to hiring staff,” said Dr Reilly.

In Cork, the children of at least four senior managers have been appointed as clerical officers in the HSE South area for temporary positions as part of the Back to School Clothing and Footwear scheme. None of the positions were advertised internally or externally.

Among those to obtain jobs were: Orlaith Healy, the daughter of HSE South’s regional director of operations, Pat Healy; Gillian O’Brien, daughter of HSE South assistant national director of human resources, Barry O’Brien; Richard Laide; son of HSE South senior finance official, Mick Laide and Mark O’Donovan, son of HSE’s head of procurement, John O’Donovan.

Under HSE recruitment policy, all vacancies are generally filled by open competitions which are advertised in both local and national media and the HSE’s own website.

However, a HSE South spokesperson said the HSE applied the Code of Practice for Emergency Short Term Appointments for these jobs due to the short timeframe. Such a code allows the HSE to hire staff from people whose CVs are on file.

Hiring emergency workers to staff the Back to School Clothing and Footwear scheme. I guess the start of the school year really took them by surprise.

[sharper]

Nepotism is the bane of a number of ITs and councils out west (probably other departments too but just going by what I know). This is exactly why jobs have to be advertised in the first place and it would be nice to think whomever was responsible for this will get fired.

[Homeboy]

@sharper

Nepotism is the bane of a number of ITs and councils out west (probably other departments too but just going by what I know). This is exactly why jobs have to be advertised in the first place and it would be nice to think whomever was responsible for this will get fired.

Fired?

[sharper]

I know I know but it’s Monday morning and you can permit me a tiny amount of wishful thinking.

You see I have trouble how someone can be hired into the public service without proper procedure being followed. If it wasn’t then someone is responsible and should be out the door. The fact that that won’t happen even in a case as obvious as this shows the scale of less obvious stuff that will happen without anyone ever hearing of it.

[bob3367]

Nothing has changed so, I left school in Cork in the mid 1980’s, went to the RTC and studied CIMA (ICMA then) a job (6 month account payable) came up in the Southern Health Service in the Farm Centre, we all applied ( I would say every trainee accountant in Cork did).

It went to a well known politicans daughter who was studying French and History in UCC, she’s probably still there.

No one in our class got an interview, except one who’s father was a Councillor he did’nt get the job but got one a few months later in the County Council.

This was rife… good to see the ancient art of nepotism is being practised in 2010

[Dubhgeannain]

@sharper

You see I have trouble how someone can be hired into the public service without proper procedure being followed.

Qualifications don’t seem to matter a hoot either. I heard on the radio yesterday maybe 5 people in the department of finance have a degree/masters in finance. Another 3 or 4 in banking a few in social planning. Less than ten accountants (Can’t remember exactly). Out of a workforce of 650.

You can change the bums in the seats in the Dáil but will it really make any difference you have to wonder some times. Actually I still want FF turfed out.

[doubleglaze]

And once these kids’ feet are in the door at all, their short-term contracts extend, rapidly, to permanent contracts.

Even if they are duds.

[gaius]

This sort of carry on is rife in Spain as well. People join organisations such as Opus Dei, not because they are religious but because they need the contacts to get jobs. It’s less prevalent in the private sector but in the public sector, it is not possible to get a job on qualifications alone.

[Dubhgeannain]

@doubleglaze

And once these kids’ feet are in the door at all, their short-term contracts extend, rapidly, to permanent contracts.

Especially if they are duds.

FYP

The duds are less likely to ruffle feathers or whistle blow. Speaking of which I heard the new whistle blowing legislation got buried

[BoyRacer]

@Dubhgeannain

@sharper

You see I have trouble how someone can be hired into the public service without proper procedure being followed.

Qualifications don’t seem to matter a hoot either. I heard on the radio yesterday maybe 5 people in the department of finance have a degree/masters in finance. Another 3 or 4 in banking a few in social planning. Less than ten accountants (Can’t remember exactly). Out of a workforce of 650.

You can change the bums in the seats in the Dáil but will it really make any difference you have to wonder some times. Actually I still want FF turfed out.

We make them Taoisigh

Dermot Morgan Live - Bertie

(watch from 4:00 minutes on for anyone thing labour are different in government)

Dermot Morgan Live - An Taoiseach

I’m all right Jack - “we do not and cannot accept the principle that incompetence justifies dismissal.”

Fred Kite

[Dubhgeannain]

@Barney Gumble

Who is behind this stifling, and what are their motives?

Do you need to ask?

The Government even promised a Senate debate on whistleblowers to prove its bona fides.

Somewhere between Dermot’s speech and the Senate debate, the Government’s zeal for protecting whistleblowers was dampened.

My guess is that the mandarins got to work.

Whistleblowers are not the mandarins’ flavour of the month. They fear that changes in the law could open the door to wild accusations.

Perish the thought that a lowly employee of the banks will be allowed to spill the beans on his bosses – without retribution.

The speech delivered in the Senate by Minister Dara Calleary had all the hallmarks of a script handed to a busy member of the Government as he entered the chamber.

It had the fingerprints of the faceless men with an iron grip over the two elite branches of the civil service – Justice and Finance.

It was a mandarin’s masterpiece.

independent.ie/opinion/colum … 09678.html

[mrslemon]

When I worked in the public service, the daughter of a senior manager was interviewed for promotion while she was out on long term sick leave with a serious (sadly, it turned out to be terminal) illness. She was interviewed at home in her sick bed and got the job. Needless to say, anyone who thought that it wasn’t really fair to give a promotion to a person who wasn’t in a position to do the job was viewed as someone who also liked to kill puppies.